i saw my whole life in your eyes
by Perperuna
Summary: Rey was just excited to go to the most anticipated ball in the London season. She didn't expect to meet the person who's eyes she saw in her dreams.


_London, England, 1815_

Miss Rey Johnson was waiting for Lady Solo's masquerade ball from the moment she got the official invitation. She heard from her guardian that this ball was always held in the high of the season and it was one of the most anticipated parties in London.

And just entering the ballroom, she could agree with this.

This year the Solos decorated their ballroom in all the shades of silver and blue. It looked like a night sky and Rey couldn't help but gawk inelegantly. She was lucky that Maz stopped to talk to the lady of the house for a while longer.

The young woman was watching guests who were wearing all sorts of costumes. She decided to wear something simple and Maz agreed with her, so she wore a silver gown interspersed with a deep green thread that was creating all sorts of beautiful patterns. She also insisted on having her hair down, for once, knowing that it was the only time she could get away with it, so her maid Lucy pushed them back from her face to cascade them down her back and threaded them with silver flowers. The look was completed with a delicate silver mask that was hiding half her face.

She approached the table and refreshed herself with cold lemonade. She loved balls and she was happy that Maz decided to leave the countryside with her for her first season, but she was always hot because of all these mass of people in one place.

"Rey, you look beautiful!" she felt her best friends' arms hugging her. Rey happily returned the hug and looked at Rose Tico, fellow debutante and the only person Rey befriended for now.

Her best friend had her hair in a beautiful updo with a rich-looking crown on her head. Her dress was red and black, as her mask, and quite bold with a really low neckline.

"Thank you, Rose. You look beautiful too! Did you have someone in mind with your attire?" Rose just shrugged.

"Not really. I decided to be a queen, as I always wanted to go to the ball wearing a crown. I love your hair and now I'm quite jealous I didn't think of letting my own down as it's the only ball that something like that won't cause a scandal," she sighed.

Rey just grinned at her, then asked, "How did you know that it was me?"

"I'm your best friend and you're the only girl I know that would rush to the table for the lemonade just after entering the ballroom."

Rey didn't argue with that.

"Are you expecting your dear Lord Hux to appear today?" Even in the dim ballroom and covered by a mask, Rey could see Rose's blush at the mention of a man that stole her heart. And it wasn't unrequited, as Lord Armitage Hux was openly courting Rose over a month now. Rey was very happy for her, as they simply looked beautiful together. She herself didn't meet her prince charming yet, but she was sure that he would appear.

"I do. He wrote me a note that he would never miss a chance to dance with me," Rose grinned and then covered her face with her hands to prevent herself from squealing too loud.

"Who would've thought that a gentleman who looked so serious when the season started proved to be such a romantic?"

"I know," Miss Tico sighed loudly. "I never thought that I would fall in love so quickly and during the first season. You know that I wanted to just have fun and maybe start looking for a husband in two or three years."

Rey knew that and she wanted to do this as well. She never wanted to marry the first guy that proposed in her first season so she could start married life. She craved love and affection, not a marriage where both parties lived with each other like strangers and led separate lives. She was lucky, that her guardian understood her and never pushed her into any gentlemen she met.

Her musings were interrupted with arriving of Lord Hux, who stole away her friend to dance with her. She smiled looking at them on the dancefloor.

"During all the years I know him, I never have seen him so smitten with anyone," Rey looked towards the man that she didn't see before and she saw him smiling at the sight of Rose and Lord Hux.

The man was very tall and broad and had this commanding presence that made people wary, especially with the low and silky baritone she heard that gave her goosebumps. He was in black with a beautiful dark mane of hair pulled slightly back and a black mask that was covering most of his face, but she could see the plush lips, lips she was quite sure she never saw before. She would remember lips like this.

He must have felt her eyes on him because at once, he looked at her and she saw the most beautiful brown eyes. The soulful eyes she saw in a dream, once or twice. She felt like she was looking at the rest of her life. He looked starstruck too and so beautiful even if the only thing she saw were his eyes and lips.

"It is you…," she heard him whisper.

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. She had gloves on but still felt the heat in the place his lips touched her. She couldn't stop looking into his eyes and he didn't take his eyes off her either.

"My lady, would you dance with me?" he finally asked with a gentle smile.

"It would be my pleasure, my lord," her answer couldn't be quicker.

His hand engulfed her small one and he led her to the dancefloor, where he put his other one on her waist. She put her hand on his shoulder and they started dancing without taking their eyes from each other.

Rey felt like she was floating when he led her into their dance. She felt hot and the tightening in her stomach was an unfamiliar feeling to her. She wanted him to touch her everywhere and for the first time in her life, she felt the urge of just leaving the ballroom and hide with this man somewhere where no one could find them.

"Who are you?" her question left her mouth without thinking.

"That is something you will find out at midnight, my lady," his voice caused her heart to jump. She looked over the ballroom to spy a clock and she saw that it was just after 10 o'clock. They had almost two hours left before they could drop their masks. She was willing to wait if those two hours she could spend dancing with this mysterious gentleman that she felt like she already knew. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't want to know more about him and maybe guess his identity.

"Is there a chance we already met?"

"I don't think we met. I would remember your eyes and smile. Also, I was away from England for the last few years," she knew she never met him before she asked her question, but now she was sure of it. For the past few years, she was living with her guardian in the countryside preparing for her first season and living a simple life.

The dance ended and she was afraid that he would leave her, but he just smiled and gave her his arm that she happily grabbed and took her to one of the emptier corners of the ballroom.

"Tell me, my lady, would you like another dance or go out with me to the terrace?" he whispered in her ear and she felt his warm breath on her cheek. She closed her eyes for a second to compose herself. She trembled a little and he must have felt that, as he said "Don't be afraid. I feel it too."

At this, she turned her head and he was so close she could see his eyes so clear and they were promising so many delicious things. Things she just read about in secret.

"I'm not afraid and I would love to go to the terrace with you, my lord," she answered after a few seconds. She saw his eyes darken before he led her to the doors that led to the big terrace with a view of the gardens that Lady Solo was very proud of.

She saw just two other pairs out in the fresh air and her mysterious gentleman led her away to the alcove in the far right part of the terrace. She knew it was dangerous and it would cause quite the scandal if they were discovered here, but she was past caring about something so trivial. She just wanted to be with this man with beautiful eyes.

They sat at a stone bench leaning their bodies towards each other. She felt his warm thigh next to hers and he took both of her hands into his large ones. He looked at her with such intensity, she wanted to lower her eyes, but her body wasn't listening.

"I dreamed of your eyes and now I'm positive that my urge to come back home has something to do with you. Do you believe in fate?"

She didn't know how to answer. She was never one to believe much in fairytales, much less fate, but the world was a fascinating place and maybe some people were truly fated for each other. Rey believed in love and that there is this one perfect person for anyone, and wasn't this close to believing in fate? Or even soulmates?

Rey delicately removed one of her hands from his embrace and squeezed his one into her two.

"I don't know if I believe in fate, but I dreamt about your eyes too and I can certainly say that there is something beautiful and rare in this," she answered with a soft smile on her face.

Her mysterious man lifted his hand and cupped her cheek and lightly ran his thumb over her lower lip. It was the first time someone touched her this way and she felt overwhelmed. Just this light touch from him made her starve for more. Lust and passion were something she only read about in books but now, with this man, she could understand the heroines who bend all the rules for this kind of thing.

"You are so beautiful and I can't even see your face in all her glory," he murmured.

She could say the same. Just seeing his plush lips, beautiful dark hair and those kind eyes brought to her all the complicated and new feelings. And she wanted to see more.

"We could change that. No one could know but us," she whispered back. "And I want to know who you are."

His beautiful eyes crinkled when he smiled at her.

"Let's just say I'm someone you would certainly hear about if you are invited to this ball. Someone who left to discover himself after falling into the bad crowd that ended in tragedy, even if for many people it was a cause for celebration."

She didn't expect for him to give her hints that easily, but maybe being away from other people helped. Or maybe he was also eager to know who she was but was afraid of telling her his identity. He mentioned a tragedy and a bad crowd, so maybe he thought that she wouldn't want him after knowing who he was.

But it was already too late for her.

Rey thought more about his answer and during her deep thinking, she started caressing his hand with her own. His hints were quite straightforward. Apparently, knowing Lady Solo was important for this and he left after a tragedy he was involved in.

The only answer she could think about was Lady Solo's son who left a few years back after the mysterious death of the Duke of Ren, an old man who created Knights of Ren, a group of noblemen famous for gambling, drinking and spending too much time in the presence of women of dubious reputation. They were also known for destroying the reputation of few girls, just because they could and the girls were mostly maids or just poor country girls. She just knew that Benjamin Solo was with them for a short time when Duke of Ren died from a fatal wound. It was strongly rumored that Lord Solo was responsible for it, but it was never proved and the case was quickly closed. After that, Lord Solo left England and no one heard about him in around six years now.

But it was impossible. She couldn't imagine this man being a part of this awful gang of terrible men.

He squeezed her hands tighter when he saw her very shocked expression guessing that she solved the puzzle he created with his hints.

"I never did anything so despicable. I found out by accident what Ren was doing to those poor girls and confronted him about it. Please, believe me," his voice cracked with emotions and she felt like her answer was something that could save or destroy him. But after the first shock, she knew that he was innocent.

"I believe you. Your mother was always defending you like mad when someone mentioned your involvement with those knights and I believe that fate wouldn't be so cruel to let me dream about eyes belonging to someone so evil."

The moment those words left her mouth, he put his hands on her mask covered cheeks and she felt his plush lips on her own.

It was a wondrous experience, being kissed for the first time and by a man who already awakened her most primal instincts and feelings. She felt wonderful and the moment their lips touched, she knew that she wanted to kiss those lips for the rest of her life. The spark, the loud beating of her heart she could hear in her ears and the butterflies in her stomach she read about in romance novels was something she wasn't ready for, but she knew she would do everything to feel like this all the time.

She didn't know what to do, but then she felt his tongue on her lips and acted instinctively opening them to welcome him in her hot mouth. When his tongue touched her own, she felt something jump in her lower abdomen. His kiss became more hungry and she felt his hand move to her neck. She was taking in all in stride and after few seconds hesitantly started to kiss him back. When she experimentally sucked on his tongue, she heard him moan and it was the most beautiful sound she has ever heard.

After a while, she broke the kiss to take a breath. She touched his face and he leaned into her hand with such a gentle smile she wanted to hold him as long as he would let her.

"Can I see you?" she heard him whisper and seconds later she removed her mask from her face without question. Benjamin, it was so good to finally put a name to his person, looked at her in awe and ran his thumb over her cheek. "You were beautiful in your mask, but now I don't have words to describe your beauty."

She blushed as she never heard a compliment said with such honesty. She heard them from some other gentlemen that she was beautiful, but she felt that they were just nice things that didn't hold any true emotions behind them. Lord Solo's words were full of admiration.

Before she could ask him to take his mask off too, he reached for the bindings and took it off himself. Now she could see him in all his beautiful glory and he was so handsome. She met many men in the last few months, but Benjamin Solo with his brown eyes, plush lips, a large nose that just strangely fit his face and moles scattered around was the most handsome of them all.

She reached to him and pushed the hair that fell on his face after removing his mask to the side.

"You're so beautiful, Lord Solo," she said with a smile that grew even more when she saw a blush creeping onto his face.

"Please call me Ben. Lord Solo is my father. And you never told me your name."

"Miss Rachel Johnson, but everyone calls me Rey."

Lord Solo, Ben, smiled at her and brought her hand once again to his lips to leave a kiss. His eyes never left hers and his gaze was so intense she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Miss Rey Johnson, would you mind very much if I come by your house tomorrow and took you for a ride around a park?"

When she heard this question, she wanted to jump from the joy she felt. Rey was ready to skip all the courting-related things and already just belong to this man as she wanted him to belong to her. But patience was a virtue, as Maz liked to remind her, and if at the end of this season Lord Benjamin Solo became all hers, she could be patient.

"Oh, Ben, I wouldn't mind at all."


End file.
